BOOKS

CHABROL’S LES COUSINS OUT ON SPECIAL DUAL BLU-RAY AND DVD EDITION

posted 5 Apr 2013, 07:13 by Julian Whiting

LES COUSINS (12) 1959 FRANCE CHABROL, CLAUDE £17.99
Claude Chabrol’s second film follows the fortunes of two cousins whose
bond is tested by a beautiful woman. Charles (Gérard Blain), a
hard-working student who has arrived in Paris from his small hometown,
and Paul (Jean-Claude Brialy), the dedicated hedonist who puts him up,
are opposites in many ways. Despite their differences in temperament and
ambition, the two enjoy a close relationship.

However, when Charles falls in love with Paul’s friend Florence
(Juliette Mayniel) the foundation of their friendship is posed a stern
question.

Made barely a year after Claude Chabrol’s debut Le Beau Serge, Les
Cousins featured the earlier film’s same starring pair of Jean-Claude
Brialy and Gérard Blain, here reversing the good-guy/bad-guy roles of
the previous picture. The result is a simmering, venomous study in human
temperament that not only won the Golden Bear at the 1959 Berlin Film
Festival, but also drew audiences in droves, and effectively launched
Chabrol’s incredible fifty-year-long career.

In Les Cousins, Blain’s character journeys from the country to Paris
to crash at the luxurious flat of his worldly and decadent cousin,
portrayed by Brialy, during the study period for an upcoming law exam
which both have set out to undertake. It becomes clear soon enough that
only one of the cousins is terribly committed to his work; as sexual
promises and alcohol intervene, the set-up becomes untenable for the
provincial, — and a tragic slide ensues.

A gripping and urbane examination of city and country, ambition and
ease, Les Cousins continues to captivate and shock audiences with its
brilliant scenario, the performances of Brialy and Blain, and the
assuredness of Chabrol’s precocious directorial hand. The Masters of
Cinema Series is proud to present Claude Chabrol’s breakthrough film in a
beautiful new Gaumont restoration on Blu-ray and DVD for the first time
in the UK.

In French with English subtitles

SPECIAL FEATURES IN THIS DUAL BLU-RAY AND DVD EDITIONS OF THE FILM

• Gorgeous new Gaumont restoration of the film in its original aspect ratio, presented in 1080p HD on the Blu-ray